Air-metering intake



May 6, 1952 w. E. HALE 2,595,654

AIR-METERING INTAKE Filed July 12, 1945- /l//m/fss.-

Array/VEZ lPatented May 6, 1952 William E. Hal'e, Fort Washington,

Pa., assigner to Beaumont Birch Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 12, 1945, Serial No. 604,628

V.2 Claims. 1

Objects of the present invention are: to provide a suction ash conveyor system having an eiilcient, reliable and simple damper mechanism for controlling the suction of air; to provide an automatic damper or Valve device constructed for the inlet of air and relief of control of suction; to provide at the end of a suction intake device an accessible damper or valve which can be readily adjusted for automatic operation and for complete closure; to provide a Y or branch leading to the ash conveyor and having at its respective ends an automatic suction valve which may be closed as desired; and to provide a suction ash conveyor pipe or conduit having near its intake end an ash hopper and having at its inner end a damper and means accessible from the exterior for controlling its regulation.

Other objects of the present inventionwill appear from the following description.

Generally stated, the invention comprises the improvements to be presently described and nally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with parts broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view tures of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings andmoreparembodying featicularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, it will be obf served that the apparatus of the present invention includes a main suction conduit I which is adapted to convey ashes, dust and the like to a suitable collector (not shown) located at any convenient point removed from the receptacle or hopper 2 in which the ashes and/or dust are accumulated. This receptacle or hopper 2 is immediately associated with the suction conduit I at a point adjacent the rear end of the 1atter, the receptacle or hopper 2 being open at its upper end for the reception of ash and dust which may be shoveled or otherwise introduced into the hopper from an-ashreceiving floor 3 in which the hopper is set.

Any suitable means may be employed for inducing a suction within the conduit I su'icient to draw the ash and/or dust from the hopper into the conduit for conveyance thereto into the collector. The suction so induced in the conduit draws air through the hopper into the conduit, this air being normallyin suicient quantity to carry with it the ash and/or dust drawn from the hopper for delivery to and discharge into the collector. In order to insure an adequate supply of air to be drawn through the conduit for the purpose aforesaid. the rear end of the conduit is provided with an inwardly opening valve or damper element 4 in the form `of a disk or plate adapted to seat against an opening lla in therear end of the conduit to close the same. This damper plate 4 is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending arms 5-5 having diverging portions 6 6. Pivotally mounted, as at l, between the arms 5-5 is a bell crank lever 8 having the angularly related arms 9 and I0, the arm I0 being pivoted to the rear end of the conduit I, as at Il. A counterweight I2 is mounted for slidable adjustment along the freely extending arm I0 of the lever 8. Suitably mounted upon a bracket I3 secured to the rear end of the conduit I is an axially adjustable set screw I 4 mounted in vertical alinement with the arm I0 of the lever 8,'this set screw I4 being adapted to limit the permissible extent of movement of the lever 8 to correspondingly limit the maximum degree to which the valve or damper plate 4 may be opened. By presenting the set screw I4 in contact with the arm I0 of the lever 8 when the valve plate 4 is fully closed, said plate may be locked in such closed position. The arms 5 5 serve not only to pivotally secure the air damper plate 4 to the pivoted lever 8, but also serve to balance the damper plate with respect to its pivot 'l so as to maintain the plate 4 normally in a position paralleling the plane of the air inlet opening 4a.

In operation of the apparatus, the ashes, dust and the like are introduced into the hopper 2 from the floor 3 for conveyance by the suction conduit I to the collector (not shown). For proper conveyance of the ash through the conduit I, under the influence of the suction induced therein, it is. of course, necessary that air be drawn from the immediate region of the hopper 2 through the conduit I to the ash collector from whence the ash is suitably distributed. Should the hopper become more or less clogged or packed so solidly as to prevent drawing of a sufficient quantity of air through the hopper and into the conveyor l by the suction induced in the conduit,

the valve 4 is' operative to supply a requisite quantity of air from atmosphere for iiow through the conduit I across the discharge opening leading from the hopper 2. In order to automatically regulate the quantity of air drawn into the conduit I by way of the valve 4 to supplement the air drawn through the hopper 2, the set screw Ill is axially adjusted to permit opening of the valve 4 as the circumstances may require, the extent to which the damper 4 is opened being determined by the extent to which the flow of air through the hopper 2 is impeded. Thus, should the hopper 2 be so clogged or packed with ash as to more or less completely prevent the passage of air therethrough, the suction induced in the conduit I will draw the plate 4 away from its seat to open the opening la sufficiently to freely permit air to be drawn therethrough from atmosphere, the air so drawn into the end of the conduit I by way of the Vopen Valve being sufiicient, as it passes the lower end of the hopper 2, to carry with it the ash and/or dust accumulated in the hopper.

The arrangement of the present invention is applicable for use not only in a single line conduit as illustrated in Figures l and 2, but also in a system of conduits having two or more branches, such as Ia and Ib shown in Figure 1, each branch having operatively associated therewith an individual ash accumulating, hopper 2 and an auxiliary air supply valve mechanism of the character -above described. Should it become necessary to shut down one of the boilers, the branch conduit leading therefrom may have its rear end closed against the suction oi air therethrough by the simple expedient of adjusting the set screw I4 of the air damper control mechanism against the lever 8 to lock the latter in position -against movement, in which position the damper plate 4 is secured in closed position against its air intake Y opening ta. rThe remaining branch line or lines may then continue in operation with each air damper control mechanism thereof operative to permit the ilow of air through the branch conduit associated therewith as may be necessary, it being obvious that the provision of the threaded set screw I4 in association with each air damper control valve eliminates the necessity of providing -separate cutoi gates for the several branch lines adjacent their junction with the main suction conveyor line. By adjusting the counterweight I2 along the arm Ill'of the pivoted lever 8, the damper plate 4 of each control valve mechanism may be rendered more or less sensitive to the suction pull within the ash conveyor conduit. Normally, the counterweight operates to hold, the damper closed, the adjustment thereofl being such that as additional air is required in any branch line operating in the system, the damper plate 4 of the valve mechanism is automatically drawn open by the suction induced in said operating branch line.

It will be understood, ofl course, that the present invention is susceptible of various other changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the general principles or rea-l spirit thereof and it is, accordingly, intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

It will be obvious to those skilled inthe art that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a suction ash conveyor of the type including a conduit having an end open to atmosphere: means for controlling the supply of air drawn from atmosphere through the conduit comprising a movable damper disposed within the conduit for engaging a damper seat arranged immediately inside the open end of the conduit, said damper having at least one supporting arm rigidly connected thereto and extending rearwardly thereof through said open end of the conduit, a bellcrank lever having one arm thereof pivotally connected at its extremity to said conduit at a point externally of and below its open end, a pivotal connection between the knee of said lever and said damper supporting arm whereby said damper floats gener-ally axially of the conuit into and out of engagement with said damper seat, an ajustable counterweight carried by the other arm of said lever for normally maintaining the damper closed -against its seat, and a threaded limit stop axially adjustable in the plane of movement of said lever and engageable with the lastmentioned arm thereof to limit movement of the lever about its pivotal connection to the conduit and correspondingly limit the permissable movement of said damper relatively to its seat.

2. In a suction ash conveyor of the type including a main suction conduit having an open end and an ash-receiving hopper disposed with its discharge opening in communication with said conduit at a point in advance of the open end of the conduit: means for controlling the supply of air drawn from atmosphere through the conduit and' across the discharge opening of` the ash-receiving hopper comprising an airinlet control damper disposed internally of the conduit for engagement with a damper seat arranged immediately inside the open end. of the conduit, said damper being provided with supporting means extending rearwardly thereof through said open end ofl the conduit, a bell-crank lever having a pair of -angularly related arms one of' which is counterweighted and the other of which is; pivotally connected at its extremityV to the conduit at a point externally of and below its open end, the knee of said bell-crank lever being, so pivotally connected to said'v rearwardly projecting supporting means for the damper as. to provide for floating movement of` the latter axially of the conduit into and out of engagement with the damper seat, and means axially adjustable in the plane of movement of said bell-crank lever and engageable with the counterweighted arm thereof to limit permissible movement of said lever and its associated damper under the influence of the suction pull in said conduit, said damper being normally held by said counterweighted arm in po,- sition to close the open end of the conduit and being automatically drawnv into limited openl position when said suction pull' on said damper overcomes the eiort of said counterweighted arm. of said lever to close said damper.

WILLIAM E. HALE.

REFERENCES.' CITED.

The following references are of record in the iiie or this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Namo Date 566,554 Young et al Aug. 25, 1896 851,054 Bassler Apr, 23., 1907 984,188 Brown Feb. 14, 19.11

1,024,297 Thompson Apr. 23, 19,12 1,588,752 Lang June 1'5, 1926 1,740,567 Becker Dec. 24, 1929 1,943,780 Allen Jan. 16, 1934 2,083,844 Hitchcock June 15', 1937 2,232,981 Swanson Feb, 25, 1941 2,303,810 Anderson et al Dec. 1, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Datev 279,671 Germany O ct.` 26, 1,914 303,604 Great Britain Jan. 101929 

